Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• UPA’s Success amid Massive Protests

  1 May 2010, by SC

  The snowballing of the IPL controversy; the charge of the tapping of phones of several politicians being stoutly denied by the Union Home Minister; the BJP/Left’s allegation of the PM’s breach of Parliament’s privilege for having announced outside (when the House was in session) dismissal of the demand for a JPC probe on the IPL scandal and phone-tapping; the Opposition’s disruption of both Houses of Parliament on a PR lobbyist’s phone being placed under observation as part of a CBI (…)

• Media is Amoral, but it Works

  1 May 2010, by T J S George

  Applause greeted the Supreme Court’s ruling that Manu Sharma should spend the rest of his life in prison. The man was a cold-blooded killer. His victim’s only fault was that she declined to pour him a drink after the bar had closed. Annoyed, he shot Jessica Lal pointblank and swaggered out.
  Arrogance of this kind has marked many high-society crimes in recent years. This murderer was arrogant because of his money and his pedigree as a former Minister’s son. Spoiled rich kids ran their (…)

• Labour Day and May Day: Some Lesser Known Features

  1 May 2010, by Anil Rajimwale

  There are several aspects of the International Labour Day and May Day yet unknown; certain myths need to be clarified and little known facts about them must be highlighted.
  It is interesting to know that Labour Day did not originate as ‘May Day’. In fact, the working class movement in the United States had a long tradition of observing Labour Day much before the May Day originated. The workers’ movement in the US was part and parcel of the rising tide of industrialisation in Europe (…)

• An Examination of Conflict: Costs, Benefits and More

  1 May 2010, by S G Vombatkere

  The death of 76 CRPF police personnel on April 6, 2010 in a Maoist ambush in the Dantewada forest of Chhattisgarh is deeply disturbing not only because it is a loss to the families and the nation, but also because it inevi-tably means upscaling police action, creating more problems for the adivasi people of Chhattisgarh and neighbouring States, already caught in the cross-fire between Maoists and the police.
  This is a perspective of conflict situations with particular reference to (…)

• Save ‘Socialism’ and ‘Revolution’ from Narrow-Minded Approach

  1 May 2010, by Bharat Dogra

  ‘Socialism’ and ‘revolution’ are two beautiful words which, however, have been distorted beyond recognition by narrow-minded persons and groups.
  Let’s first see what these words actually mean and then we’ll examine how these beautiful words have been distorted and by whom. We’ll also examine how these distortions can be checked.
  Socialism means a way of thinking which clearly goes beyond selfish concerns so that all our concerns for our own welfare are closely linked to the (…)

• A Learned History of the Socialist Movement

  1 May 2010, by Surendra Mohan

  REVIEW ARTICLE (1) Bharat mein Loktantrik Samajwadi Andolan—Bhag Ek: Congress Socialist Party (1934-47) by Girija Shankar; Vishwa Bharati Publications, 4378/4D Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi; 2004; pages 465+ix; Rs 750.
  (2) Bharat mein Loktantrik Samajwadi Andolan—Bhag Do: Socialist Party (1947-52) by Girija Shankar; Vishwa Bharati Publications, 4378/4D Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi; 2009; pages 395+xv+45 photographs; Rs 950.
  Some histories of various phases of the (…)

• Exploring the Amazing Popularity of Shaheed Bhagat Singh

  1 May 2010, by Harish K Puri

  (This article was sent to us before the seventyninth anniversary of the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh and his comrades on March 23, 1931 but could not be used earlier due to unavoidable reasons. It is now being published in view of the significance of its contents for the benefit of our readers. —Editor)
  Among a large number of martyrs—the freedom-fighters who laid down their lives in the struggle—the popularity of Shaheed Bhagat Singh appeared to be of an exceptional order; almost (…)

• Prabhash Joshi and the RTI Movement

  1 May 2010, by Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Shankar Singh

  TRIBUTE
  On May 5 it will be six months since Prabhat Joshi left us. Remembering that towering figure in the field of journalism on this occasion, we are carrying the following tribute which brings out yet another facet of his personality. It was written quite sometime ago but could not be published earlier due to unavoidable reasons.
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  Prabhash Joshi was one of the most important journalists and thinkers of our times. He was also one of the most controversial. He was a journalist (…)

• India’s Stake in Afghanistan

  1 May 2010, by Nikhil Chakravartty

  In the last two years, there has been non-stop coverage in the media and in the diplomatic circles about Bosnia, but very little about the happenings in Afghanistan. From the angle of ethnic conflict, both represent a dimension which needs to be fully grasped while from the strategic point of view, Afghanistan’s historical importance is unmatched.
  For a century-and-a-half, Afghanistan has been the battleground of rival Great Powers, so much so that the moves and the counter-moves (…)

• Afghanistan: Karzai’s Strategy, Pak Moves and the West

  1 May 2010, by M K Bhadrakumar

  With just a few days left for the “jirga” or tribal council to be held in Kabul, the prospects do not look good. Pakistan is determined to torpedo the Afghanistan Government’s plan to work out a societal consensus for ending the war through the traditional means of a consultative assembly. The convening of the jirga, for May 2-4, was a pledge made by President Hamid Karzai in his inaugural address last November. The idea has been viewed favourably by the bulk of the Afghan society. On the (…)